A BEREAVED mother has made a film to show Herefordshire’s youngsters the importance of safe driving.

Linda Jennings, who lost her son Michael in a car accident, has made the emotional film to warn youngsters about the potential dangers of driving on the county’s roads.

She has teamed up with the road safety group Time and Place to talk about the death of her son, who died in an accident on a main road near Kington on February 15 last year.

The film shows her being interviewed by group member Jan Wildman and it was premiered at John Beddoes School in Presteigne, where Michael was a student and Linda works as a social inclusion co-ordinator.

The group will show it to students in Herefordshire schools in the hope that it spreads the message about the true impact of deaths on the roads.

“You can feel her pain,” said Heather Thompson, the group’s Herefordshire co-ordinator. “We showed it for the first time in Presteigne and it was as though the pupils were set in stone. There was no fidgeting or anything.

“Linda said there was a lot of talk about it afterwards in classes. She also invited the local community support officers and the chaplain from the police and they were really impressed.”

The film sees Linda explain that road accidents are something that happen to other people – until they happen to you. She also talks about how life can be taken at a moment’s notice in very ordinary circumstances.

She says her son died at the age of 17 in an accident on a road he had driven on many times before.

“Don’t assume just because you are driving on a road you have driven on before that nothing can happen,” says Linda in the film. “It was a 10-minute drive from our house and yet he did not make it.”

The film shows Linda talking about her drive back from Cornwall when she was told about the accident. She explains how the full horror of the situation only became a reality as she drew closer to Hereford County Hospital.

“The key to the film is that it can be used in Herefordshire,” said Heather. “Everybody knows where the hospital is and most people have been there at one time or another.

“It is just to make people realise that this is happening on their doorstep,” said Heather.

Linda, who is also training to work for Support and Care after Road Death and Injury (SCARD) to help other bereaved families, talked about the emotional demands of making the film.

“It was a very hard thing to do because I literally had to go back in time in my mind and think about the first contact that was made, that awful journey back and everything that happened afterwards,” said Linda.

“You don’t expect to be making arrangements for your child’s funeral. It is like being thrown into a whole new world under the saddest of circumstances and nobody can ever imagine how it feels.”

Other groups and schools interested in getting the Time and Place team to give their presentation can call Heather by leaving a message on 01432 820573.